I've heard people say that the kitchen is the heart and soul of a home... I know mine has always been... it's where the most interesting conversations have taken place and in addition it's where I learned to play bridge and poker and how to cook... Creating the perfect kitchen for living and cooking is part of the art of knowing how to cook and put your house in order... the closest I have come to finding the ideal kitchen is this...
There should be room to work and room to visit and room to make a mess and clean up and they should all work together and independently, it should be well lit and ventilated and perhaps most importantly it should be comfortable.... If you watch any of the home renovation shows they create these glorious kitchen spaces for people who I suspect do little more than warm things up.
What inspired me to cook was growing up is I always seemed to gravitate toward the kitchen because not only did I like listening to adult conversations over participating with other children and their issues... but the aroma was intoxicating to me... due mostly in part to a lady named Marcella. I enjoyed as a child the most phenomenal cakes and pies and treats you can imagine and thanks to her patience with me and my determination I know how to make most all of them.
If you come to our house what you might notice immediately when entering are books and more books... we like to read; for years I said you could read a book and learn how to do almost anything with the possible exception of performing brain surgery and landing a 747 aircraft... I now have to amend that to include being an excellent cook... I have learned so much about life and cooking by working in the kitchen with really good cooks--- because you learn first hand how something should look, taste and smell and perhaps most importantly when baking certain things... the consistency of the batter or dough is crucial to success.... but back to books for a second... how many cookbooks do you have? I have over 100 and I have card files with family recipes from mine and my other half and almost anyone else who is willing to share them with me... I also have a fairly large file on my computer and I've backed up what may one day be my cookbook on a disc (I'm still testing a few things) I have books from my favorite restaurants, bakeries and chefs as well as regional cuisines around the world... but I'll have to tell you if you are just starting out the best investment you could possibly make is having "The Joy Of Cooking" and "On Food And Cooking" the first gives you the outline and instructions to create almost anything you could want to make and the second gives the science and skills to know what can or should be combined and the alchemy of changing the temperature or consistency of ingredients for optimal results (it really is the next best thing to having me or the many talented people who have taught me their secrets) I'll give you some of my secrets later. The thing about cookbooks I've found that sometimes you have to use your own judgement about baking and cooking times... I'm not saying that they deliberately did not provide the proper amount of ingredients or oven temperatures or baking time... but I've had a couple of fiascos following the directions to the letter... I would like to think it was a misprint or my oven is faster then theirs...
I've always known how to cook or at least take the basics and dial it up a notch or two to put something taste tempting on the table but there was a turning point in my life where I decided I wanted to be an excellent chef... I had a teeny-tiny part in a movie with Jacqueline Bisset, George Segal and Robert Morley called "Who Is Killing The Great Chefs Of Europe?" based on a book by Nan and Ivan Lyons "Someone Is Killing The Great Chefs Of Europe"... the movie came out in the late 70's and to this day I've only met two people who have seen it... really it was a fun caper but it wet my appetite (pardon the pun) for exceptional cooking.
The centerpiece of the movies plot and this photo is "La Bombe Richelieu"... the Jacqueline Bisset character creates this sumptuous delight as part of the film...a supporting cast of other actors create equally sublime dishes that are dubbed the perfect meal in the movie and the book... I mentioned the book because they actually give the recipes for everything created... not for the faint of heart or the novice cook... it took me years to recreate the meal flawlessly. The first thing I tackled was the Bombe and it was actually easier than I anticipated (the most difficult part is the sugar crown if truth be told and you need an excellent freezer) I have subsequently taken liberties with it and recreated and somewhat improved it back when I was working briefly as a dessert chef for a catering company several years ago.... But in the book and the movie each chef is brutally bumped off in the manner that their dish is created. (I won't spoil it... but the book and film end differently)
You don't need a lot of fancy gadgets to be a great cook but they certainly make it easier... there is an old adage "it's necessary to have the right tool to do the job effectively" and it's certainly true in the kitchen... To start you need good sharp knives, mixing bowls, mixing spoons, measuring cups and thermometers... I personally can't recommend having a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a Cuisinart food processor highly enough. There are dozens and dozens of other things like pots and pans, and spatulas and sifters and such but just add each item as you need it... I think if you tried to outfit your kitchen in one day you would think twice and take a cruise around the world instead... my advice about equipment is the same as ingredients... buy the best that is available and/or you can afford... you won't be sorry... most of it will last a lifetime unless you really abuse them.
It's really quite a big investment but if you are going to spend any real amount of time becoming a great cook then in the end it's all worth it.
I wrote previously that I wished there was a book for life like cookbooks that told you exactly what to do and which ingredients to use and everything would turn out perfectly but I think I was wrong... it's the trial and error in cooking and in life that make us great and knowing how to take a recipe or situation and turn it into a new creation far more delicious than the inspiration is the reward. I truly have reached to point where I can make almost anything as good or better than any restaurant or bakery in the world... but that does not mean that I don't like to go out once and a while and see how the other half eats. I'm now to the point where I make almost everything from scratch including my own yogurt and thanks to my friend Debra I make her recipe for ketchup... I also have a recipe for something that you need to know how to make homemade creme fraiche or it really won't turn out right... once you have had anything homemade it's difficult to go back to something that comes out of a tin can or a jar... you also have control over how clean your kitchen is... I know someone who will not eat anything from a pot luck dinner party unless she has seen how clean your kitchen is... I thought she was being a bit obsessive until I saw the state of a few peoples kitchens we both know.
OK I'll tell you a couple of secrets if you are just starting down the culinary highway....
- Don't ever prepare anything for company that you have not tried to make previously.
- Work your way up from simple to more difficult.
- Take cooking classes where you live and at least a day of class when you are on vacation.
- You are bound to have a mishap or two when you are starting so try not to make anything for guests that can't be repaired with, chocolate, whipped cream ice crean, sour cream or butter... worse case scenario... turn out the lights... food looks and tastes better served by candle light.
I may share some of my favorite recipes down the line but next week I'll be talking about the different passages of life!
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